The Black Panther Party
=''The Black Panther Party (BPP)' ''= ''Who was the Black Panther Party? What was their purpose, and what did they achieve?'' '' The Black Panther Party was an African American revolutionary organization established to prevent black suppression and promote black power. They were established and most noticeable active in the United states between the 1960’s and the 1970’s.[file:///C:/Users/Kirstine/Desktop/The%20Black%20Panther%20Party.docx#_ftn1 '1] The Black Panther party had imposed a perennial impact upon the United States’ culture as we know it today. ''They achieved national and international notoriety through its involvement in the Black power movement and U.S. politics of the 1960’s and 1970’s. '' The organization was founded in late 1966 by 2 men, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were both in an organization as a teenager which was known as the ''Afro American association. This was a group dedicated to inspire equality and freedom for black Americans. However the two soon became frustrated by what they believed to be the inability of the afro American association to actually act upon the issues instead on nearly discussing them. They later broke away from the organization with the intention in taking a more active stand on the issues, and that’s how the Black Panther party was born. Shortly after their establishment and with only a few members, The Black Panthers carried out their first march in the state of California state capital. The panthers were protesting the selected ban of weapon proposal by the state of California. Their protest was immediately presided with the arrest of all the other panthers involved in the march. This event furthered the awareness and prominence of a necessary resistance movement, which was going to appear in the United States. This also made people aware of the group. It didn’t take long for the panthers to gain a lot of recognition and support from others in the United States. The Black Panther Party would sometimes follow the police around, and when they arrested or detained someone, they would reef out their right. The Black Panther Party tried to get as much attention and recognition as possible, and a big amount of people who followed them and had the same opinions as them, were actually young Afro Americans in their teens, which was where they both first started to get an interest in becoming a member of a movement. By 1968 the Black Panther Party had expanded into many cities throughout in the Unites States. In total they reached 5000 members. ''To be a member of the Black Panther Party' '''To be a member of the Black Panther Party there were several rules[2] you had to follow to maintain being a member. There were 26 rules, 8 points of attention and 3 main rules of discipline you had to follow. Some of them were, you had to speak politely, Treat others with respect, never steal, never hurt another member or any other Afro American, you were not allowed to be drunk or high in any way while working etc. The Black Panther Party also had a special dress code. They all wore a blue shirt, black pants, leather jackets, black berets and openly displayed shotguns. The dress code was there to make them easily recognized when out in public. And they certainly were. 'Recognition by the public' 'As said earlier, the Black Panther Party did as much as they could to get recognition and attention by the people of The United States. They would do demonstrations, follow the police around, do marches and try making a statement wherever they went. One of the things they did was making a newspaper. “''The Black Panther” was the official name of the newspaper. It was out in public in 1967. By 1968 the newspaper had 2500 readers. Another thing they created was “''The ten point program”.[file:///C:/Users/Kirstine/Desktop/The%20Black%20Panther%20Party.docx#_ftn3 3] This was a document that called for land, bread, education, clothing, justice and peace. '''An end, and a new beginning'' ''The founder and leader of the Black Panther party, Huey Newton, was arrested for the assassination of a police officer from Oakland. The event was an extremely noticeable event because it acted as a catalyst for the revolutionary movement, inspired the free Huey campaign, and signified a possible route in the idea of police brutality against black afro American, which was a major foundation which the Black Panther party was founded upon.'' '' The Dissolution'' ''While part of the organization was participating in the local government and social services, another part was in constant conflict with the police. Disagreements among the Black Panther party’s leaders couldn’t confront these challenges which lead to a significant split in the Black Panther party and to its ultimate dissolution[4]. Despite their political intentions and intends of reformation The Black Panther party was also criticized for being a violent organization. They were known to threaten police officers. And the outcome and consequence of being armed everywhere they went gave a negative and violent view in the eyes of many individuals. However they were an extremely influential group. The party exemplified and proved the idea that groups started by black Americans can make a difference in the U.S and could allow people to come out with their opinion. They used a more forceful and active strategy which came to influence many other revolutionary leaders, and further more tribute a great deal to the ultimate goal for equality for black Americans. They made a difference and made people realize that what the American government was doing to the black Americans was wrong. The Black Panther Party did everything to be remembered, even if it was for something bad or god, but the most important thing is that they tried to make a difference, and they succeeded. Literature list'' '' francisco da costa: black panther party. Udgivet af francisco da costa. Sidst opdateret: 2013. Internetadresse:http://www.franciscodacosta.com/articles/BPP.html - Besøgt d. 09.10.2013 (Internet) All power to the people. Instruktion: Lee Lew Lee. Internetadresse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOl_gPD2G-4 - Besøgt d. 10.10.2013 (Film) Black Panther Party: Black Panther Party. Udgivet af Marxist history. Internetadresse:http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/ - Besøgt d. 10.10.2013 (Internet) The ten point program: the ten point program. Udgivet af Marxist history. Internetadresse:http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/1966/10/15.htm - Besøgt d. 10.10.2013 (Internet) ---- [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party [2] http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/unknown-date/party-rules.htm [3] http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/1966/10/15.htm [4] http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/